Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Sonatas, Ops. 6, 105, + 106/Rondo Capriccioso
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CD Details
Composer: Felix MendelssohnPerformer: Frederic Chiu
Edition: Music CD
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 1993-10-06
Music Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
Soundtracks:
- Sonata In E Major, Op. 6: I Allegretto con espressione
- Sonata In E Major, Op. 6: II Tempo di Menuetto
- Sonata In E Major, Op. 6: III Adagio e senza tempo
- Sonata In E Major, Op. 6: IV Molto Allegro e Vivace
- Sonata In G Minor, Op. 105: I Allegro
- Sonata In G Minor, Op. 105: II Adagio (Cantabile e lento)
- Sonata In G Minor, Op. 105: III Presto
- Sonata In B-Flat Major, Op. 106: I Allegro Vivace
- Sonata In B-Flat Major, Op. 106: II Scherzo: Allegro non troppo
- Sonata In B-Flat Major, Op. 106: III Andante quasi Allegretto
- Sonata In B-Flat Major, Op. 106: IV Allegro moderato
- Rondo Capriccioso In E Major, Op. 14: Andante; Presto
Music reviews of Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Sonatas, Ops. 6, 105, + 106/Rondo Capriccioso
Music Review: Strongly Endorsed
Rating: 4 Stars
The Julliard-trained Chiu created a sensation by his elimination from an early round of the Van Cliburn Competition in Texas where he was expected to finish in the medals. His choice of repertoire did not appeal to the jury apparently. The same thing happened to Pogorelich at the Chopin in 1980, though his detractors may have been on to something; he has developed into an annoyingly willful pianist.Chiu is his own man too, but like Glenn Gould, his keyboard insights are bolstered by good scholarship. Harmonia Mundi has trusted Chiu with the liner notes to each of his releases, and he has responded with succinct, engaging essays. It's nice to have an occasional "word from the artist"; it dispels the suspicion that they are just thoroughbreds of dexterity, incapable of articulation away from the instrument. I hope he keeps it up.
Mendelssohn's innate fluency seems tailored to Chiu's delicacy and control. The familiar Rondo capriccioso is breathtaking; the phrasing and dynamics remain pliable even at the highest speeds. From what I've heard, Chiu has a future in Scarlatti. We need someone to add to the Horowitz legacy of brilliant, plastic pianism. The sonatas here aren't just filler, either. They are patterned after Beethoven's but with a more objective eye in their approach to drama. After a hard day of living one's own "Pathetique" there is nothing wrong with a little gentility. Tres nifty!
Description of Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Sonatas, Ops. 6, 105, + 106/Rondo Capriccioso
Frederic Chiu's is one of only two sets of Mendelssohn's piano sonatas currently available. Despite some late opus numbers, these are early works from Mendelssohn's teens. Op. 105, written when the composer was only 13, is the least interesting, but none of these is major Mendelssohn. Still, the two later sonatas will appeal to Mendelssohn-lovers, especially if they are starved for new discoveries. Chiu, whose playing I have sometimes found precious, finds the right tone for dealing with this music, which he plays with imagination and respect. And his version of the Rondo capriccioso, a nice encore, is a dazzler. --Leslie GerberMendelssohn, Felix CDs
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